1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to accommodating intraocular lenses which can be surgically implanted as a replacement for the natural crystalline lens in the eyes of cataract patients. In particular, lenses of the present invention comprise at least one optic and are capable of being inserted into the natural lens capsule through relatively small incisions in the eye.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Cataracts occur when the crystalline lens of the eye becomes opaque. The cataracts may be in both eyes and, being a progressive condition, may cause fading vision and eventual blindness. Cataracts were once surgically removed along with the anterior wall of the capsule of the eye. The patient then wore eyeglasses or contact lenses which restored vision but did not permit accommodation and gave only limited depth perception.
The first implant of a replacement lens within the eye occurred in 1949 and attempted to locate the replacement lens in the posterior chamber of the eye behind the iris. Problems such as dislocation after implantation forced abandonment of this approach, and for some period thereafter intraocular lenses were implanted in the anterior chamber of the eye.
Others returned to the practice of inserting the lens in the area of the eye posterior to the iris, known as the posterior chamber. This is the area where the patient's natural crystalline lens is located. When the intraocular lens is located in this natural location, substantially normal vision may be restored to the patient and the problems of forward displacement of vitreous humor and retina detachment encountered in anterior chamber intraocular lenses are less likely to occur. Lenses implanted in the posterior chamber are described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,718,870, 3,866,249, 3,913,148, 3,925,825, 4,014,552, 4,053,953, and 4,285,072. None of these lenses have focusing capability.
Lenses capable of focusing offered the wearer the closest possible substitute to the natural crystalline lens. U.S. Pat. No. 4,409,691 to Levy is asserted to provide a focusable intraocular lens positioned within the capsule. This lens is located in the posterior area of the capsule and is biased toward the fovea or rear of the eye. The '691 lens is deficient because it requires the ciliary muscle to exert force through the zonules on the capsule in order to compress the haptics inward and drive the optic forward for near vision. However, the ciliary muscles do not exert any force during contraction because the zonules, being flexible filaments, exert only tension, not compression on the capsule. The natural elasticity of the lens causes the capsule to become more spherical upon contraction of the ciliary muscle. Thus there is no inward force exerted on the capsule to compress the haptics of the Levy lens, and therefore accommodate for near vision. Even if such force were somehow available, the Levy lens' haptics are loaded inward when accommodating for near vision. Since accommodation for near vision is the normal status of the capsule, the Levy lens' haptics are loaded, reducing the fatigue life of the springlike haptics.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,674,282 to Cumming is directed towards an accommodating intraocular lens for implanting within the capsule of an eye. The Cumming lens comprises a central optic and two plate haptics which extend radially outward from diametrically opposite sides of the optic and are moveable anteriorly and posteriorly relative to the optic. However, the Cumming lens suffers from the same shortcomings as the Levy lens in that the haptics are biased anteriorly by pressure from the ciliary body. This will eventually lead to pressure necrosis of the ciliary body.
Finally, International Patent Publication WO 01/60286 by Humanoptics AG discloses a two-piece accommodation lens which comprises an optical section positioned within a ring-shaped envelope which is designed to be lodged in the equatorial zone of the lens capsule. However, the envelope and the optical section are not unitarily constructed. The non-unitary construction of the optical section and the envelope that are responsive to ciliary muscle contraction and retraction, results in increased wear and tear of the lens. Thus, the lens may not operate efficiently for a long period of time as is needed for implantation in humans.
There is a need for an intraocular lens implant capable of focusing in a manner similar to the natural lens. The lens should comprise a structure which inhibits the growth of fibrotic tissue and avoids damage to the ciliary body and other eye components. Furthermore, the optic positioning element should preferably be of unitary construction.